From crypto beaming through radio signals to Vitalik Buterin championing “degen communism,” and Solana appointing a Vice President of Decentralization — these outrageous April 1st antics nearly duped Crypto X.
BunkerCoin: The Token Broadcast via Shortwave
On April 1st, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko took to X to reveal a fictitious new Solana-based coin called “BunkerCoin,” poking fun at the often overly elaborate designs behind modern cryptocurrencies.
Yakovenko humorously suggested that BunkerCoin would run through “shortwave radio frequencies” and utilize a range of complex technologies, such as ZkProofs, Groth16 algorithms, and a “Nakamoto-style longest chain” mechanism.
The announcement was a satirical mishmash of crypto jargon, clearly intended to mock the buzzword-laden world of altcoins.
“If you’re aiming for mass adoption, it’s time to go underground,” joked Yakovenko — a not-so-subtle callback to a tweet from All In podcast co-host Jason Calacanis in June.
Vitalik Buterin Declares ‘Degen Communism’ the Only Truth
Ethereum’s co-creator Vitalik Buterin also joined in the fun with a tongue-in-cheek blog post endorsing “degen communism” — a playful swipe at the absurdity of memecoins.
Buterin described this spoof ideology as one that “embraces disorder, but adjusts fundamental mechanisms and incentives to ensure that chaos ultimately benefits the collective.”
Although it exaggerated the value of unpredictability and degeneracy, the post echoed themes Buterin had explored days earlier, where he proposed that memecoins could potentially be used for good in financial systems.
Bankless Host Becomes a Solana Superfan
David Hoffman, the Bankless podcast co-host and a vocal Ethereum supporter, took part in the April Fools’ festivities with a mock announcement that he was abandoning ETH in favor of Solana.
He humorously claimed he was joining forces with Solana’s Austin Federa and Yakovenko as the new “VP of Decentralization” — a clever nod to a recurring critique that Solana lacks the same level of decentralization as Ethereum.
Given Hoffman’s history of spirited debates with Solana advocates, the sudden “defection” appeared totally out of character — making it all the more amusing for those in the know.
The Real Jokers? Price Manipulators in Disguise
One prank that stirred controversy rather than laughter came from a pseudonymous account linked to JuiceBox, an Ethereum-powered crowdfunding protocol. The account falsely claimed the project had secured a $69 million investment from venture capital giant Paradigm.
In a now-private post on X, the user Briliegh.eth made the announcement, which caused the JBX token to spike over 45% to $0.0043, according to CoinGecko.
An hour later, the account admitted it was all in jest. By then, JBX had already dipped 25% back to $0.0034 — leaving many feeling duped rather than amused.
“Taking an hour to reveal it’s a joke — criminal,” one X user commented. Another simply wrote, “Jail.”
A similar scenario played out when “Sasha,” the anonymous founder behind the Waves blockchain, claimed the protocol would integrate artificial intelligence and switch its ticker from “WAVES” to “AI.”
WAVES briefly surged by 5% before sliding back to its prior level. Many in the crypto community saw this stunt less as comedy and more as a sketchy attempt at market manipulation.
“Is this joke? market manipulating,” one user remarked.